I am a believer of shopping within the Ahwatukee/Foothills
“village,” so I always read with interest the featured Business
Profile in the AFN. The profile regarding the Foothills
Pet Resort (Oct. 16) touched me personally.

A little over a year ago I adopted Sadie, a poodle puppy, who
was plagued with various problems, including extreme shyness and
fear of other dogs and people.

When I discussed the possibility of day care with JJ Kruglick
and Jimmy Barker they assured me that they would spend extra time
with Sadie and gradually ease her into being comfortable around
other dogs and people. It has now been almost a year and Sadie
knows when it’s Tuesday and Friday. She is ready to go to day care
and see her “friends.”

JJ and Jimmy definitely know the importance of good customer
service as it relates to running a successful business and it is
obvious that they enjoy what they are doing. The entire staff is
caring, helpful and always fuss over Sadie when she walks in the
door (In fact, if they opened a “people day care” I would consider
going myself!). Anyone considering day care or boarding for your
canine companion should check out this great business. You and your
pet will be happier for the experience!

Gayle Grigg and Sadie

Obama’s chess to Cheney’s checkers

Dear Editor:

As President Barack Obama considers carefully the future
direction of the war effort in Afghanistan, he is ridiculed by
former Vice President Dick Cheney, who hastily bolted out of
Afghanistan into Iraq, a miscalculation of epical proportions.

In making decisions about the lives of American soldiers and
Afghan civilians, Obama deliberates and considers nuances as Cheney
blows once again the heated war horn and debunks deliberation.
Obama was elected president at least in part because he had warned
that the rush into the war in Iraq was ill-considered and too
hasty. His judgment was correct.

Now Cheney blasts Obama for seeking the counsel and wisdom of
leaders of both parties and allies as he redefines and reconfigures
the future mission and strategy in Afghanistan. In the rush to war
in Iraq, Cheney consulted only neocon warriors. Obama considers the
ramifications of world order and international law; Cheney had
preferred apocalyptic shock and awe. Obama, it seems, plays chess.
Cheney knows only checkers.

RW Kistner, Phoenix

Thanking the AF community for supporting Spencer
Shores

Dear Editor:

As a business owner in this great community, I would like to
thank each and every community member for their unbelievable
support and generosity. On Oct. 21, The BAR Fitness hosted the
Ahwatukee Chamber of Commerce evening mixer. In conjunction with
this event, we held a fundraiser for Spencer Shores and his family,
and our incredible local business owners and residents blew me away
with how they came together to support this special family. Over
200 people attended the event!

The night could not have happened without a true team effort and
I would like to personally thank Heidi’s Events and Catering for
providing the wonderful food and Native New Yorker for providing
the beer for all to enjoy. Both of these businesses are
consistently supportive of our community, and they deserve to be
recognized for the work they do.

In addition, businesses and individuals from Ahwatukee and from
around the Valley donated goods and services to be auctioned and
raffled off. As a result, we were able to give the Shores family
over $7,000! Thank you to all of the businesses who donated and
thank you to the chamber of commerce for letting us include this
event as part of the mixer.

A list of all the donors who contributed to this event is posted
online at www.TheBarFitness.com/newsletter.html. I am so proud to
be part of this community and I look forward to many more years of
giving back.

Brad Rogers

Owner, The BAR Fitness

Coming soon to the elementary school in your
neighborhood...

Dear Editor:

I pledge allegiance to Dear Leader Barack Hussein Obama and to
the community organization for which he stands: one nation under
ACORN, unchallengeable, with wealth redistribution and climate
change for all.

Jim Thompson

Harry Mitchell to ADOT boss John S.
Halikowski

Dear Director Halikowski:

This week a Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) committee
approved a plan to extend the Loop 202 through Ahwatukee Foothills
and South Mountain Park and it is believed that MAG’s Regional
Council will give final approval to forward its recommendation to
the Arizona Department of Transportation for an environmental
impact study.

As you know, I am opposed to construction of a new freeway
through Ahwatukee Foothills along a Pecos Road alignment.

While I understand the need for an I-10 bypass to enable
cross-country traffic to move through our metropolitan area without
snarling traffic on the Broadway curve or downtown Phoenix, I
believe we must explore alternatives, particularly as it relates to
traffic of interstate trucks, before considering a new freeway
through Ahwatukee. In addition to discussions with the Gila River
Indian Community, I believe we need to consider the impact that
construction of a future Hassayampa Freeway would have on
congestion alleviation.

As a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure
Committee’s Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, I am eager to
work with you on this issue.

Thank you for your assistance.

Harry E. Mitchell

Member of Congress

Alzheimer and high school football

Dear Editor:

Last week the National Football League (NFL) said that football
players in their league were 19 times more likely to get Alzheimer
than the general population (that is 19 times not 19 percent). The
NFL players are adults and are paid well. They can make their own
decisions.

The question I pose for all parents who have teenagers who want
to play football is: “With that danger of getting Alzheimer, how
can you let him play?” God gave parents superior minds so they
could make the tough decisions, use it.

A necrologist said he cringed every time he sees a player get
knocked down because he knows what happens to the brain.

I don’t understand putting our children at risk in high school
football.